Sealing extruded section for being mounted on a projecting part of a structure, blank of said section and method for fixing said blank on the projecting part

ABSTRACT

The invention concerns a sealing extruded section designed to be mounted on a projecting part. Said extruded section comprises: two elastomer or plastomer shells ( 1, 2 ), including each a wing ( 1   a,    2   a ) and an adjacent part ( 1   b,    2   b ) forming a portion of the section base, said two shells being separated from each other by an opening ( 3 ) arranged through the section base and extending longitudinally along the median part thereof; a flexible material layer ( 7 ) inextensible or hardly extensible, applied inside the two shells ( 1, 2 ) so as to secure the two wings ( 1   a,    2   a ) and the adjacent parts ( 1   b,    2   b ) to the section base; a wedging shim ( 4 ) with cross-section substantially identical to that of the opening ( 3 ) separating the shells ( 1, 2 ), wherein it is forced in engagement, the cross-section of the opening ( 3 ) being such that, when the wedge ( 4 ) is fixed, it brings about a tilting movement of said shells relative to each other, thereby bringing closer together the free ends of the two wings of the section.

[0001] This invention relates to a sealing extruded section with aU-shaped transversal section, made of elastomer or plastomer, without arigid reinforcement such as, notably, a metallic reinforcement. Morespecifically, it concerns a clamp-forming section of this type, designedto be mounted onto a projecting part of a structure, especially an edgeprojecting from the frame on an opening in the body of a car,particularly a door frame or trunk frame on such a body.

[0002] In addition, the invention involves a blank for such a sectionand a procedure for mounting said blank onto the projecting part of theassociated structure in order to create the section and simultaneouslymake it integral with this part.

[0003] The clamp-forming U-shaped sections typically include at leastone sealing component adjacent to the base or to a branch of the U shapeand projecting toward the outside in such a way that it is compressedbetween the frame of the opening fitted with this section and therelevant opening when the latter is in a closed position, therebyensuring that this opening is waterproof and soundproof.

[0004] To ensure that these sections are effectively clamped onto therabbet on which they are mounted, they have traditionally included aU-shaped metallic reinforcement at least partially buried in theplastomer or elastomer of which they are made, and, to ensure that thesection is not inadvertently disconnected from the associated rabbet,each wing of the section corresponding to the branches of the U shapeusually includes lips that project obliquely in the direction of theother wing from the surface turned toward that wing.

[0005] With the same objective, the users of these sections,particularly when the sections have no metallic reinforcement, ensurethat they are securely in place by gluing them to the rabbets onto whichthey are fitted, and, for this purpose, they typically use so-calledhot-melt glues, which are hard at room temperature but soften whenheated. Consequently, users must coat the internal surface of thesection base and/or the adjacent parts of the wings with this type ofglue on the spot in the presence of heat and then, after the assemblyhas been heated in order to soften the adhesive and allow it to flowbetween the section and the rabbet, they must mount the section to whichglue has been applied onto the rabbet; finally, they must allow theassembly to cool in order to harden the adhesive and thereby secure thesection onto the rabbet.

[0006] These steps are relatively simple; nonetheless, users object tothe need to heat the adhesive themselves and bemoan the lack of sectionsthat can be mounted directly onto the associated rabbets, without havingto resort to this tedious operation beforehand.

[0007] From Patent FR 2 633 361 A, we are familiar with a seal made of aflexible extruded material and having a transversal section generally inthe shape of a U or a Ω, at the bottom of which is implanted an adhesivesubstance, such as a mastic. This section is designed to be mounted ontoa rabbet or a projecting edge that penetrates into the adhesivesubstance, which then hardens naturally, so that the section adheres tothe rabbet or the projecting edge, but this may require a considerableperiod of time.

[0008] To remedy this drawback, it has already been proposed to apply aline of soft glue inside the clamp-forming section that can be hardenedby a controlled operation, e.g., heating by means of an electricalconductor buried in the mass of the section or in the line of glue (seeEP 1 060 927 A and EP 1 080 967 A, both of which belong to theApplicant). With sections such as these, the projecting part is mountedso as to penetrate the line of soft glue, and this glue is subsequentlyhardened.

[0009] This invention also relates to clamp-forming sections with nometallic reinforcement, but its purpose is to provide sections of thistype containing no metallic part and therefore no metallic conductorsused to harden a soft glue that hardens when heated.

[0010] With this objective in mind, the invention eliminates the use ofa soft glue that hardens when heated in such sections and instead isused to secure the section to the projecting part onto which it is meantto be fitted by means of a simple mechanical clamping force around thispart.

[0011] To this end, the invention's objective is a sealing extrudedsection with a transversal U- or Ω-shaped section made of elastomer orplastomer, without a rigid reinforcement that is at least partiallyburied in its mass, said section possibly comprising a sealing elementadjacent to its base or to one of its branches and projecting toward thesection's exterior, and being designed to be mounted onto a projectingpart of a structure, especially the frame for an opening in the body ofa car, and being characterized in that it comprises:

[0012] two elastomer or plastomer shells, each comprising a wing and anadjacent part forming a portion of the section base, said two shellspreferably being arranged in more or less symmetrical fashion along across-section of the section and separated from each other by an openingmade in the section base and extending lengthwise along its median part;

[0013] a layer of flexible material that is inextensible or slightlyextensible, applied to the interior of the two shells so as to securethe two wings and the adjacent parts of their respective section base;

[0014] a wedging shim, with a cross-section substantially similar tothat of the opening separating the shells, into which it is engaged byforce, the cross-section of the opening being such that, when the wedgeis fixed in place, it causes these shells to swing away from each otherthanks to the layer of flexible material connecting the two shells,thereby bringing the free ends of the section's two wings closertogether.

[0015] The wedging shim and the shells are advantageously made of thesame material and have been extruded.

[0016] The layer of flexible inextensible or slightly extensiblematerial connecting the two shells may have a Shore A hardness ofapproximately 80 to 90. It may, for example, be made of semi-hardrubber.

[0017] In this layer, a sheet or fabric made of an inextensible orslightly extensible material, such as polypropylene, may advantageouslybe buried, to prevent the risk that this layer will be stretched.

[0018] To ensure a perfect seal around the projecting part capped bythis section, the latter may advantageously include a layer of masticapplied to the layer of flexible inextensible or slightly extensiblematerial in which the edge of the projecting part can be buried. Thismastic may be laterally supported on the lips projecting from the wingof each shell in the direction of the opposite wing.

[0019] In addition, this invention involves a blank of this section inwhich the wedging shim is not engaged in the opening separating the twoshells but may be adjacent to them if, as is preferable, they arejointly extruded. In this case, when the shim is fixed in place in theopening, the extruded links that join the shim and the half-shells maybe broken as a result of the force applied to this shim when it is fixedin place.

[0020] Finally, the subject of this invention is a procedure formounting this section blank onto a projecting part of a structure,notably a frame for an opening in the body of a car, in order to producethe aforementioned section from the blank that we have just defined andto make it integral with this part, said procedure being characterizedas follows:

[0021] the projecting part is mounted onto the aforementioned blank,with the two shells arranged on either side of the projecting part andwith the opening that separates the two shells being approximatelyopposite the projecting part;

[0022] and the wedging shim is then driven into the opening so as toswing the free ends of the two shells toward each other, in order toclamp the projecting part firmly in place.

[0023] The wedging shim can be inserted into the opening separating thehalf-shells by means of a roller that presses on the shim or a hammerwith a vibrating head. During this operation, the wings of the twoshells may themselves also be advantageously pushed toward each otherwith the help of rotating rollers applied to their external surface, asin so-called roll-forming procedures; this facilitates the insertion ofthe shim in its housing.

[0024] The implementation of the invention will be described in greaterdetail below, with reference to the schematic drawings attached. Inthese drawings:

[0025]FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an initial blank of the sealin accordance with the invention;

[0026]FIG. 2 illustrates the creation of a seal in accordance with theinvention based on the blank in FIG. 1 and its simultaneous mounting ona projecting part of a frame for an opening in the car trunk;

[0027]FIG. 3 is a detailed view of a variant of FIG. 1;

[0028]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of another method of producingthe seal in accordance with the invention, positioned on a projectingpart of a frame for an opening in the car trunk;

[0029]FIG. 5 is a view analogous to FIG. 1 of another blank of a seal inaccordance with the invention.

[0030] The blank of the frame seal for a car trunk shown in across-sectional view in FIG. 1 was produced by joint extrusion. Itcomprises two shells 1 and 2 separated by a longitudinal opening 3, inwhich a shim 4 may be inserted by force to form a wedge having acomplementary profile that, in this case, is made of the same materialas the shells 1 and 2 and is laterally connected to the latter by meansof extruded links, which in this case are broken when the shim ismounted in place.

[0031] The shells 1 and 2 are arranged symmetrically in across-sectional view and, once the shim 4 has been mounted in place,form with the shim a U-shaped section. To this end, each shell comprisesa wing, respectively 1 a, 2 a, corresponding to a branch of the U shapeand an adjacent part, respectively 1 b, 2 b, that forms a part of theU-shaped base adjacent to the shim 4. The opening 3 and the shim 4 arearranged longitudinally in the median part of the section.

[0032] In customary fashion, the shim 4 contains a fiberglass wire 5,while a tubular sealing section 6, made for example of foam rubber, isadjacent to the parts 1 a and 2 a of the shells 1 and 2, with which itwas jointly extruded.

[0033] According to the invention, a layer 7 of an inextensible orslightly extensible material, such as semi-hard rubber, connects thewings 1 a and 2 a of the shells 1 and 2 and is applied to the parts 1 band 2 b, of which it forms an integral part, transversally to theopening 3. This opening 3 and the wedging shim 4 have a section-in thiscase, a section in the form of an isosceles trapezoid, whose small baselies at the entrance of the opening 3—such that when the shim 4 isforced into the opening 3 by spreading parts 1 b and 2 b apart, thewings 1 a and 2 a are made to swing away from each other, since they areconnected by the inextensible material; as a result, the free ends ofthese wings are brought closer together in order to clamp firmly inplace a rabbet 8 on which the section rests, as can be seen in FIG. 2.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 2, the shim 4 may be inserted by means of aroller 9 that may or may not be made to rotate, while the wings 1 a and2 a of the shells 1 and 2 are simultaneously pushed towards each otherby the rollers 10 and 11, also rotating, which press against theirlateral surface and facilitate the insertion of the shim 4. The roller 9may advantageously be activated by an alternating movement perpendicularto the shim.

[0035] The lips 12, 13, 14, 15 that protrude from the parts 1 a and 2 ain the direction of the opposite part are in this way pressed againstthe rabbet 8 to ensure that the resulting section does not becomedetached from the rabbet 8. It should be noted that the lips 14 and 15,arranged, for example, along the free edge of the parts 1 a and 2 a, aredouble lips with a section in the shape of a circumflex accent, therebyensuring better adherence to the rabbet 8.

[0036] This section is thus held in position on the rabbet 8 by means ofa simple mechanical effect, without the use of a soft glue that would behardened by passing an electric current through the metallic wiresarranged in this glue or in the adjacent parts of the section.

[0037] There may be a gap between the edge of the rabbet 8 and the layer7 of inextensible material, or the two may come substantially incontact.

[0038] It should be observed that the wedging shim 4 includes, along theedges of its end that is closest to the layer 7, projecting parts thatsnap into place below the parts 1 b and 2 b in order to lock the shiminto position in its housing.

[0039] As can be seen in FIG. 3, the lateral edges of the shim 4 and theadjacent surfaces of the opening 3 may also include grooves to ensurethat the shim does not accidentally escape from its housing.

[0040]FIG. 4, in which the previously described components aredesignated by the same reference numbers, represents another method ofproducing the seal in accordance with the invention, which differs fromthat of FIG. 1 only in that a strip of a sheet or fabric made of aninextensible material, such as polypropylene, is incorporated into theslightly extensible or inextensible material of the layer 7 so as tofurther reduce the risk of stretching this layer 7.

[0041]FIG. 5, in which the previously described components aredesignated by the same reference figures, represents another method ofproducing the invention, in which a layer of soft mastic 17, in thiscase supported laterally by the wings 12 and 13, is applied to the layer7 of inextensible material. The rabbet that is designed to be mounted onthe section penetrates this layer of mastic, thereby providing a perfectseal between this rabbet and the section.

[0042] All of the aforementioned methods of producing the inventioninvolve a seal for a car trunk, but clearly the invention can also beapplied to seals on the frame of a car door, in which case the sealingcomponent would be laterally adjacent to one of the section's shells.

[0043] The sections in accordance with the invention do not have anymetallic parts and are thus less costly than those formerly used thatincluded a reinforcement. They are also lighter than the latter and thuseasier to use.

1. Sealing extruded section with a U- or Ω-shaped transversal section,made of elastomer or plastomer, without a rigid reinforcement buriedpartially in its mass, said section possibly including a sealing element(6) adjacent to its base or to one of its branches and projecting towardthe section's exterior and being designed to be mounted on a projectingpart of a structure (8), especially a frame for an opening in the bodyof a car, by means of a tight clamp, and being characterized in that itcomprises: two elastomer or plastomer shells (1, 2), each comprising awing (1 a, 2 a) and an adjacent part (1 b, 2 b) forming a portion of thesection base, said two shells preferably being arranged in more or lesssymmetrical fashion along a cross-section of the section and separatedfrom each other by an opening (3) made through the section base andextending lengthwise along its median part; a layer (7) of a flexiblematerial that is inextensible or slightly extensible, applied to theinterior of the two shells (1, 2) so as to secure the two wings (1 a, 2a) and the adjacent parts (1 b, 2 b) to their respective section base; awedging shim (4) with a cross-section substantially similar to that ofthe opening (3) separating,the shells (1, 2), into which it is engagedby force, the cross-section of the opening (3) being such that when thewedge (4) is fixed in place, it causes these shells to swing away fromeach other thanks to the layer (7) of flexible material connecting thetwo shells, thereby bringing the free ends of the section's two wingscloser together.
 2. Section according to claim 1, characterized in thatthe wedging shim (4) and the shells (1, 2) are jointly extruded. 3.Section according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that theinextensible or slightly extensible material has a Shore A hardness ofapproximately 80 to
 90. 4. Section according to one of claims 1 through3, characterized in that a sheet or a fabric (16) made of aninextensible material is buried in the layer (7) of material that isinextensible or slightly extensible.
 5. Section according to one ofclaims 1 through 4, characterized in that a layer of soft mastic (17) isapplied to the layer (7) made of inextensible material between the wings(1 a, 2 a) of the shells (1, 2).
 6. Blank of a section according to oneof claims 1 through 5, characterized in that the wedging shim (4) is notengaged in the opening (3) separating the two shells (1, 2), but may beadjacent to the opening.
 7. Procedure for mounting the section blankaccording to claim 6 onto a projecting part (8) of a structure, notablya frame for an opening in the body of a car, in order simultaneously toproduce the corresponding section and make it integral with thisprojecting part, said procedure being characterized in that: theaforementioned blank is mounted on the projecting part (8), with the twoshells (1, 2) arranged on either side of the projecting part and withthe opening (3) that separates the two shells being approximatelyopposite the projecting part; and the wedging shim (4) is then driveninto the opening (3) so as to swing the free ends of the two shells (1,2) toward each other in order to clamp the projecting part (8) firmly inplace.
 8. Procedure according to claim 7, characterized in that thewedging shim (4) is driven into its housing by means of a rotatingroller (9) or a vibrating hammer.
 9. Procedure according to claim 8,characterized in that the wings (1 a, 2 a) of the shells (1, 2) aresimultaneously pushed laterally towards each other by the rotatingrollers (10, 11).